Ship-hatch.



A. & A. M. MODOUGALL.

SHIP HATCH.

APPLICATION nun 91:0.29. 1913.

1, 1 1 8,667, Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

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y I I i INVENTORS Qwqa i? Okvwm A A WMBRNEY UNITED STAllFT UFFIGE.

ALEXANDER MGDOUGALL AND ALEXANDER MILLER MoIDOUG-ALL, OF DULUTH,

MINNESOTA.

SHIP-HATCH.

Application filed December 29, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it knownthat we, ALEXANDER MoDoU- GALL and ALEXANDER MILLER McDoUeALL, citizens of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ship-Hatches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

Our invention relates to improvements in ship hatches.

The object of our invention is to provide a hatch cover wherein strength to the ships construction is materially added when the covers are in place and securely fastened.

Another object is to so construct a hatch having such functions as to be most conveniently applied and removed, and one affording special advantages over the forms of the hatch covers now in use.

Great loss to life and property have been experienced in ship navigation, due directly to the weakness of ship construction on ac count of the many hatches necessary within the decks of the vessels, and in the common method of covering the hatchways as now practised no strength whatever is restored to the ship. To compensate for such weakness efforts have been made along the line of strengthening the hatch coamings and forming a rigid box-like construction about the hatch, and deep channel bars and bulb angles have been used for this purpose. However, so long as the hatch covering remains loose the torsional and longitudinal weakness to the ship remains. Too rigid a structure about the hatches results in greater stress occurring intermediate the hatches in that the torsional strength thus afforded occurs only in spots whereas, if the hatch coamings were properly tied together as in our improved construction, it would result in uniform elasticity and strength throughout the length of the ship. In fact, in some instances this weakness in present construction is especially true in steam vessels in which the machinery and motive power are in the after end and, being long and shallow, with many thwartship hatches, such as are common in lake shipping and coastwise navigation. When a ship of this character is heaving, rolling and tossing among waves in a violent storm it becomes much like a man or an animal undergoing violent exer- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N ov. 24, 1914.

Serial N 0. 809,242.

'cise, causing abnormal panting and stretching. Some high-classed steel vessels are known to have stretched, under such circumstances, suflicient to admit of some of the hatch covers falling into the hold, and doubtless many ships have been lost \vithall on board on account of the hatch covers having been either washed off or entirely collapsed by the weight of the waves upon them when the vessel was rolling in heavy seas, as under such conditions the tendency to twist and bend is well known to be great. To overcome such weaknesses, and still confine ourselves to a simple and. economical construction of hatch covers, is another object of this invention. In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 1s a plan view of our improved sectional hatch cover. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the hatch combing. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the abutting edges of the sections. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrative of a modified form of construction. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through a hatch coaming of modified construction; and, Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the keeper or holdfast clip. The hatch cover proper is composed of a plurality of steel plates 1 so constructed as to be separably applied to or removed from the hatch coamin 9, which latter we prefer to form of a regu ar steel channel bar which is riveted to the skin 3 of the ship and completely surrounds the hatchway. For a five or ten thousand ton ship we would suggest an eight or ten by three and one-half inch channel forthis purpose and, in fact, some ships are already equipped with such chan nels or a modification thereof in the way of a bulb angle, as is shown at 3, Fig. 5, in which latter case we would surmount the bulb 3 with an integrally attached angle 4 to produce the, flat laterally projecting flange, which is equivalent to the upper flange of the channel 2 upon which the hatch cover restsand thus utilize the present construction of hatch coaming. However, we modify this uppermost member of the eoaming in that it is made to slightly incline downwardly from the hatch, which results in the hatch covers, when loosely applied to the coaming, resting only upon that portion of the flange directly above the upright or web portion of the channel and forming the open space 5 intermediate the under side of the outermost edge of the Sec tions 1 and the upper face of the outer edge of the flange. This normally preserved space 5 is for the purpose of protecting the rubber or other gasket 6 when the hatch sections are being moved on or off, as their weight will come on the inner edge or corner of the channel and not engage the gasket or packing until drawn down by the hatch bolts 7, any desired number of which bolts may be used and, when thus drawn down it is evident that the greater pressure and strain will come upon the corner of the channel above referred to and not on the packing. If preferred the packing may be put upon the under edge of the hatch sections instead of on the coaming and upon either side of the bolts, Without departing from our invention.

To further strengthen the union of the hatch cover sections with the coaming we form the ends of such sections with the turned down portion 8 which overlaps the outer edge of the flange all around the coaming, the outer edges of the extreme end sections being turned down for this purpose. This depending flange 8 not only adds to the bond with the coaming but materially assists in preventing the sections slipping in the hatch-way when being manipulated and adds greatly to the rigidity of the sections and also, to some extent, assists in making a water-tight covering to the hatch, this latter feature being especially advantageous when this form of hatch cover is used upon a vessel carrying coarse freight, such as coal, iron ore, or the like, wherein the matter of extreme freedom from moisture is-n'ot essential and the hatch may be used without any packing or gaskets whatever, in such case.

v 1 In Fig. 3 we have illustrated a means for uniting the abutting edges of the sections 1, there being an angle iron 9 riveted along the edge of each section and upon the upper side thereof, in such a manner that when the sections are in place upon the hatch the upward projecting members of the angles 9 may be clamped together, either by the small U-shaped steel clips 10 or bolts 11, as shown in Fig. 1, or both as necessitated by the navigation requirements of the vessel.

. Acanvas or other packing 12 may be used intermediate the abutting angles or not, as required. In Fig. 4 we have illustrated a modified form of the abutting edges of the sections and in which one angle 13 is removably attached by through bolts 14: to the edge ofthe section 1, to admit of a canvas orother sheet packing being used, folded intermediate the angle and cover sect-ion and having its folded edge projecting into the space intermediate the abutting angles, as clearly seen. in the drawings. Any number of bolts 11 may be utilized for uniting the angles 9 and 13 when a tight joint is required and we prefer to have them tapped into one angle and fit loosely through-the other, as shown. The clips 10 will be found very convenient in holding the sections together in many cases without the bolts 11, and again, for holding the sections in place when using the said bolts. It is understood that both the bolts 7 and 11 are readily applied and removed with a simple socket hand wrench.

While we have illustrated our improved hatch cover as being readily manipulated by hand, it being within the scope of the invention to make the cover of a single section, or of a plurality of sections, of any width desired, it is evident thatv the same may be so arranged as to be operated mechanically by lines from winches on the deck of the vessel, or by cranes .orderricks as required. In this latter event the sections would be attached one to the other, preferably by short pieces of chain upon the under side at each end thereofand preferably half of the sections of each cover in one group and half in the other, that they 1 may be moved collectively to. or from the center of the hatch, and when removed in this manner will snug up very conveniently, one above the other, over the end coaming of the hatch. It is also evident that where we have illustrated the hatch plateas [being bent at right angles to form fiangesto engage the edge of the coaming, angles. may be used with equally good results and may engage either the inside or the outside of the coaming and the abuttingedgesof the plates may be turned up, in lieu of the angles shown, if preferred.

Having thus described our invention, What we claim and desire to secure. by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a ship hatchway of a coaming surrounding the hatch, the said coaming having holes therein, having its uppermost flanged face inclinedidownwardly from the hatch to receive the hatch cover upon its innermost. edge, the ECOVQI' having holes therein, and. adjacentthe edges thereof and registering with holes in the flange of the. coaming and bolts,@passing through the holes in the cover and tapped into the holes in the flange of the coaming.

2. A ship hatch comprising an upwardly extending coaming surrounding thehatchway, a flange extending laterally from the upper edge of the coaming and having the outer edge thereof below a. level-with the inner edge, cover plates normally resting upon the innermost edgeof the coaming and forming a space intermediatethe upper side of the outer edge of, theflangeand the under side of the plates, ,aflexible packing intermediate the plates and flangeand bolts passing through the plates andtapped into the flange for the purpose described.

3. The combination with a ship hatchway of a coamingsurrounding the hatch, having its uppermost flanged face inclined downwardly from the hatch to receive the hatch cover upon its innermost edge, a resilient packing intermediate the cover and coaming at a point where they do not normally engage each other, and removable means adjacent the packing for uniting the hatch cover and coaming.

4. The combination with a ship hatchway of a coaming surrounding the hatcliway, having its uppermost flanged face inclined downwardly from the hatch to receive the hatch cover upon its innermost edge, holes within the cover adjacent the edges thereof and registering with holes in the flange of the coaming, bolts passing through the holes in the cover and tapped into the holes in the flange of the coaming and resilient packing intermediate the cover and coaming at a point where they do not normally engage each other.

5. A hatch cover for ships comprising a plurality of metal plates, the combined area of which is sutficient to completely cover the hatch, each plate having its end edges turned down forming a flange overlapping the hatch coaming, upwardly extending flanges integral with the abutting edges of the plates, removable means for uniting said abutting flanges and removable means for uniting the plate with the hatch coaming.

(3. A, hatch cover for ships comprised of a plurality of individually removable plates, upwardly extending flanges integral with the abutting edges of the plates, means for temporarily uniting the upwardly extending flanges, and means for permanently uniting said flanges for the purpose described.

7. The combination with a ship hatchway of a coaming surrounding the hatch, a cover for the hatch comprising a plurality of metal plates, the combined area of which is sufficient to completely cover the hatch, upwardly extending flanges integral with the abutting edges of the plates, a resilient packing intermediate the abutting flanges, means for securely uniting said flanges, a resilient packing intermediate the plates and the hatch coaming and means for securely uniting the plates to the coaming.

In testimony whereof we ailix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER MCDOUGALL. ALEXANDER MILLER MCDOUGALL. Witnesses:

R. H. HALL, CnoELm THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissionerof Patents,

Washington, D. C." 

